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The best exercise for you is the one you enjoy. Exercise helps build healthy muscle, improves reaction and coordination, maintains bone strength, improves circulation and breathing, keeps you mobile, keeps your weight down and makes you feel better.
Different exercises achieve different results; some are more suitable for some people than others.
For instance, lifting heavy weights is often used to increase muscle bulk. But muscle reaction time and rate of force development are more important. These are produced by doing faster contractions with lighter weights. Body builders should also beware overtraining, and should ensure they train muscles on all sides of vthe body equally (not just the ones they can see in the mirror). They must also mix enough stretching exercise into their routines.
Exercise to maintain bone mass are those that put a percussive force through the body - walking, skipping and trampolining are especially good for this - or where the muscles pull on the bones - light gym weights and swimming
For cardio-vascular health you need exercises that get you out of puff – walking, cycling, swimming, hill walking and ball games. These are the ones that also burn the calories. People often find that even extreme diets do not shift the weight. That is because even on a low calorie intake they are still burning fewer calories than they take in because their lifestyle is so sedentary. Regular adequate exercise is an essential ito losing weight.
Exercise that are generally good for the back include walking, swimming and dancing (especially belly-dancing).
Pilates classes can be helpful, but make sure your instructor is a fully qualified Pilates instructor. Excessively mobile (floppy) poorly muscled people should be wary of yoga. Some yoga positions should always be avoided.
Exercise to do at home should be tailored to the individual patient and their problem after a proper examination.. Specific instruction is needed to make sure they are done properly; exercise done from a book or video are rarely helpful and often lead to problems. Some exercises are potentially harmful and should never be done – head stands and neck rolls for example.
If in doubt, ask your osteopath
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